1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a case for an electronic device with a coupling system to be coupled to a seat.
The present invention is advantageously applied to a case for a computer tablet, to which the following disclosure will explicitly refer without however being less general.
2. Description of the Related Art
Normally, computer tablets are provided with a case having essentially the function of mechanically protecting against blows and scratches. The most common cases for computer tablets are shaped as a book and comprise a rear cover provided with a housing pocket to house the computer tablet and a front cover which is hinged to the rear cover.
Recently, users want to have a case for a computer tablet which can be coupled to the rear wall of a seat of a vehicle to allow the passengers in the rear seats to use the computer tablet without having to hold it in their hands (particularly for watching movies). However, to date, cases for computer tablets which also allow being coupled to the rear wall of a vehicle seat are not known on the market; in this respect it is worth noting that the mechanical coupling of a case containing a computer tablet to the rear wall of a car seat has significant safety problems, because in the event of an accident, it is to be assured that the case does not uncouple from the seat and that the computer tablet does not uncouple from the case, otherwise if the computer tablet (having a mass of 500-700 grams and significant rigidity) uncouples, it may become an extremely dangerous “projectile” for the occupants in the vehicle.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2009073337A1 describes a case for an electronic device, which is shaped as a book and has: a rear cover provided with a housing pocket to house the electronic device, a front cover which is hinged to the rear cover by means of a first hinge, and a locking element which is hinged to the rear cover by means of a second hinge opposite to the first hinge. The locking element is provided with a button-shaped coupler and projects from the lower wall of the locking element; and the front cover has a coupling hole, which is arranged at the coupler, when the locking element overlaps the front cover, and is adapted to receive, on the inside, the coupler. However, the mechanical coupling obtained by the snap coupler has a relatively modest holding force and therefore is absolutely unable to assure that the case will not uncouple from the seat and that the electronic device will not uncouple from the case in the case of an accident. Accordingly, the case described in Patent Application US2009073337A1 is not suitable for being coupled to a vehicle seat.